Children's Ministries

Many organizations and churches, especially those of the Assemblies of God greatly benefitted from the vision casting, training, and the leadership that Reverend  Charmaine Hendrick brought to Namibia, after having herself been trained at the Jackson's Ridge Children's Ministry Center in Rustenberg, South Africa. Pastor Charmaine is a native of Namibia and spent many years traveling around the country developing children's ministries through training programs, workshops, children's outreaches, discipling, and by other forms of ministry through personal example.  She was based out of Highlands Assembly of God in Hochland Park, Windhoek; but made her way around the country, helping to develop churches in their vision for ministering to children.  Many people were trained and blessed by her ministry and in 2006 Pastor Charmaine  moved to South Africa to continue her work on an African Regional level, as well as directing Royal Family Kids Camps.  She is presently basing her ministry out of the Jackson's Ridge Children's Ministry Center in Rustenberg.  More information can be acquired by either writing to office@jacksonsridge.org or looking at their website at jacksonsridge.org

In 2007, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God of Nambia invited Rev. Mark Gardner to come to Namibia to help in the continuation of Children's Ministries development in Namibia.  Pastor Mark had been ministering in Angola from 1998 to 2006 and felt the Holy Spirit's direction to relocate his family to Namibia and made the move.  At the church leadership's request, they are now based out of Swakopmund, on the coast.

Children's Ministry Development is presently taking place on several different levels:

1) Workshops and Seminars that are being offered in different cities to schools, non-governmental organizations, and churches have included:

  1. Children's Ministry 101 - a Vision for Children's Ministry
  2. Children's Ministry 102 - Thematic Children's Programming for Sunday School and Kids' Church
  3. Leading Children in Praise and Worship
  4. Planning, Organizing, and Running Children's Camps
  5. The Art of Storytelling
  6. How to Make your Own Puppets   
  7. How to Effectively Use Puppets

2) Children's Camps

3) Children's Church

4) Children's Crusades and Fun-day Outreaches

5) Swakopmund Children's Choir

6) School Assemblies

6) And we are presently putting together a 30 minute weekly children's pilot program for TBN Namibia

OUR VISION IS SEE A MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN NAMIBIA THAT SWITCHES

   From a

                   "Children's Ministry is adults ministering to children,"            

                                                                                                                   To a

                                                                                                                                    "Children's Ministry is children ministering to others."   

Now, this still requires a great deal of adult involvement (Just like the prophet-boy Samuel needed an Adult - Eli to help him to know and follow the voice of the Lord, so children still need adult guidance today).  Involvement not just in the capacity of teaching, but in teaching and equipping the children for them to do the ministry.  I know this may not be something most older people experienced when they were growing up, but this is what the Lord is doing in these last days.  It's glorious and we're privileged to see it happening in our day. 

We are emphasizing and teaching the children the importance of prayer and worship

I Samuel 3:1 says, "Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord"   We are emphasizing to children that before they minister to their friends, family, in hospitals, or to the elderly and shut-ins that it is vitally important to minister to the Lord.  We recognize that this can be done on a "when you do it to the least of these, you have done it to Me," level but first we believe it is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE to minister to the Lord in praise and worship, for He is seeking such to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  God's greatest joy in Adam was not in how well he performed his calling (at the time to take care of the garden), but was in His walks with Adam and fellowship with him.  God's greatest joy in the ministry of children is not how well they perform their calling (go and make disciples of all nations), but in the walks (intimate fellowship) they have with Him.  We have experienced a "walks with God" type of fellowship in our times of praise and worship with the children.  Everything after that is simply just an outflow.